We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers. They come from all over the Island, this one from Stephan Voight in Wootton. In his own words – Ed
Update 22.Dec, 11:55: Town mayor, Steve Stubbings, has responded (below)
First of all, animals have the same value as a living creature as human. Thus, we should respect their right to live on the earth.
Ventnor mayor, Cllr Steve Stubbings’ County Press photograph would have been certainly more impressive, if he were holding a Feral Pigeon rather than a non-native captivity bred Harris Hawk on this arm, as pictured in the County Press (18th December 2011).
Ask the experts
Secondly, to use tax payers money in the most efficient way, it would have helped, if the Ventnor Councillors would have asked existing experts to come up with a humane solution about how to deal with the man made pigeon problem in Ventnor, which is mainly caused by lost birds of pigeon fanciers and the bad habit of wasting and discarding food everywhere.
All the answers are readily available on the websites of organisations like Animal Aid and world leading expert PiCAS UK Limited (Pigeon Control Advisory Service), the latter being based just across the Solent in Gosport, Hampshire.
“Waste of time and money”
Flying birds of prey like Harris Hawks to control gulls and pigeons are a waste of time and money. Here are some bits of information useful to know in this context, extracted from the PiCAS UK Limited website.
“Furthermore, most contractors use Harris Hawks as the favoured control option. The Harris Hawk is not the natural predator of the pigeon and is much slower in flight and therefore the bird poses no threat whatsoever. The Harris Hawk will, however, occasionally catch a juvenile, sick or injured pigeon during a control operation (as depicted below in Norwich City centre) but this is rare. A Harris Hawk will never catch or deter a fit and healthy adult pigeon.” (Source: PiCAS UK Limited)
“A number of companies in the UK offer this service where birds of prey are flown in or around a specific building or site, on a regular basis and the client is told that the resident pigeon flock will move elsewhere to roost. In most cases the client is also told that an extensive culling operation is necessary in order to reduce pigeon numbers prior to flying a bird of prey. The theory is that once bird numbers reduce to an acceptable level (as a result of culling) the bird of prey will then be flown and will establish a territory, thereby ensuring that the target species does not re-occupy the area. In practice it is the culling operation that reduces pigeon numbers on the site (in the very short-term) and the flying of a bird of prey has no affect whatsoever on the surviving flock. The client, however, sees an initial reduction in pigeon numbers (as a result of the culling operation) and assumes that the £90-£150 per hour that they are being charged for flying the bird of prey is money well spent. However, pigeon numbers on the site then quickly increase above and beyond the pre-cull figure (normally within 4-6 weeks) and the client realises that the bird of prey is having little or no effect. Far from seeing a reduction in pigeon numbers they actually see an increase. This is because culling as a method of pigeon control has been scientifically proven to increase, not reduce, pigeon flock size. The client has simply been sold two very expensive and ineffective services.” (Source: PiCAS UK Limited)
A better solution is available
So, is there a better solution? Yes, there is, simply by using a more holistic approach consisting of scientific background information and common sense.
The idea is not new, but humane, efficient, sustainable, cost effective and user friendly. It was the PiCAS Group again, who have pioneered the use of artificial breeding facilities as a means of controlling and reducing pigeon flock size.
“The basic principal of the system is to provide a centralised feeding area where the public feeding of pigeons is allowed in an effort to stop the random feeding of pigeons taking place throughout a town or city centre. Once the feeding facility has been provided a public information programme will be initiated designed to educate the public about the problems associated with feeding pigeons and the advantages to both pigeons and property owners of feeding exclusively in a centralised feeding facility. Once a feeding area is opened for public access, a perching facility would be provided above or adjacent to the feeding area and upon which pigeons would perch during the daytime whilst exploiting food provided within the area. This would ensure that pigeons using the feeding facility did not perch on buildings in the vicinity thereby causing soiling problems for property owners. Alternatively, if a reduction in pigeon numbers is required, a dovecote facility may be provided which will not only provide pigeons with a daytime perch but also with an overnight roosting and breeding facility where flock size can be controlled by birth control. This is achieved by removing eggs, as laid, from the dovecote and replacing them with dummy eggs. This method of control will dramatically reduce pigeon flock size and is cheap and simple to maintain.” (Source: PiCAS UK Limited)
“Most of the companies offering this service are simply falconers that are jumping on the pest control bandwagon, hoping to make a quick and easy profit.” (Source: PiCAS UK Limited)
Return to Niton
However, as suggested by Cllr Steve Stubbings, the pigeon flock might move on to Niton, and then the residents of Niton might get a second chance to take this problem on properly.
Mayor of Ventnor, Steve Stubbings, responds
Update 22/12/11: We had invited the mayor of Ventnor, Steve Stubbings, a right of reply, but through the town clerk we were initially informed that he “decided not to take it up on this occasion”.
Update 22.Dec, 11:55 We’re pleased to say that Steve has now sent VB his thoughts …
We’re not talking about a cull here, folks. We’re looking to move the birds on to a place where they might represent less of a nuisance. We’ll combine this with a request for people to stop feeding them.
We’re also working hard on the dog mess problem and thanks for bringing it up. In the longer term we will, of course, give due consideration to the options provided by Stephan in this piece.
The comment about Niton was a bit of a joke because my mum lives there. Apologies for any offence this may have caused.
Many thanks to Simon and Sal for the offer of a right to reply. I suppose I’ve now accepted the invitation. :-)
